When the crew of the Enterprise is forced to accept the death of Captain Kirk, Spock and McCoy must come to terms with their own grief, but when Spock discovers a plot by the Klingons to send Kirk back in time in order to destroy the Federation, it will take all the courage and abilities of the crew of the Enterprise to rescue their beloved Captain in time before he succumbs to the horrific torture of the Mind-Sifter.

Greetings folks. It’s me! The director of Mind Sifter. James Cawley requested I give you all an update on how things are going. For those of you not interested in reading this novel, to sum up: things are FANTASTIC! This episode of STPII/NV embodies the true heart and soul of Gene’s Star Trek, and has performances from our beloved actors Brian Gross, Brandon Stacy, Charles Root Jr, Robert Whithrow and others which are deeper and more vulnerable than we’ve ever seen.

We’re also introducing several new additions to the team including Shyaporn Theerakulstit (Sulu), Jasmine Pierce (Uhura), Clay Sayre (Kor), and, not to be left out, our New McCoy, the unstoppable Jeff Bond. And, of course, the brilliant actress playing our female protaganist, Dr. Hamlin, is none other than Rivkah Raven Wood. We also had the incredible honor of working with master cinematographer Jeff Barklage who studied Finnerman’s work so well (even worked with him), that our colorist Bing Bailey said, “this looks BETTER than TOS….” I can’t agree more.

Folks, this is an unprecedented time in the legacy of James Cawley’s vision of Star Trek: New Voyages/Phase II. We’ve moved to a new studio that allows for flying walls, much more space and EVEN MORE (if it were possible) accurate props and sets. We’ve been able to streamline production to the point where we shot a 72 page script in, basically, 10 days. Now, it was brutal on the crew, but it serves to show how committed everyone is on the production team and how much value those of you who have donated to this production will receive. The tight ship has just become a LOT tighter.

We have created 180 visual effects shots which include everything from the standard fare Star Trek elements to a few surprises. This herculean work is being spear headed by the incredible talents of Pony Horton. Pony is also heading up a new-blood team of VFX artists from the Phase II/New Voyages family which is very exciting. Heck, even I’m going to be doing a few shots in Davinci (a formerly $50,000 color timing editor). Venerable VFX genius Tobias Richter is also getting involved. And, of course, returning from his directing of The Holiest Thing, is Star Trek Phase II/New Voyages pillar Daren R. Dochterman who has made 20 shots of our favorite lady in space for the retro version.

Jeff Bond (yes our McCoy), has done the music edit, and it is one of the most moving scores from TOS I’ve ever heard assembled. He’s pulling on cues and mixes that no one has ever heard, and it is a real treat when you’re able to move with the emotional tapestry he’s woven for us.

We have the distinct privilege and honor to have one of the greatest sound designers on the planet to have joined our team: Frank Serafine (Star Trek TMP, TRON, Tron Legacy, Hunt for Red October…). He headed up a team of Los Angeles professionals and members of our Star Trek family to complete the audio of the 65 minute production. Talents like Jesse Akins, Ken Givens, Joseph David Spence, Jeff Spencer, Shawn Tabor, Alex McDonald, and others. For me, productions like this are all about team effort. Just because we CAN do a lot of work with few people, doesn’t mean we should, and when there’s so MUCH work to do in little time, expanding the talent pool – especially when the whole process is under the watchful eye of Frank, is a no brainer.

Tobias Richter created the space related visual effects in the modern style.

During filming of Mind-Sifter, it was debated whether we film in 16:9 Widescreen or in 4:3. The 4:3 format was the decision made. We have had many requests for a 16:9 widescreen format version of Mind-Sifter and after many internal discussions, it was decided to release a special 16:9 version as a perk to those who donate to the production.

It is one of the perks available when you join the New Voyages Fan Club.